Surfing Competitions

Today there are a large number of competitions for surfing with more and more demand for all the subgroups to be included too. Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, Tow-In, Longboarding, Body Surfing, Bodyboarding - all of these types of surfing are demanding their own contests and even within these groups there are the amateurs, the professionals, women's, men's and even local competitions for those who aspire to be professionals some day. Just over a quarter of a century ago the number of competitions and the purse money that was up for grabs was a whole lot different.

Initially the surfing competitions were friendly get-togethersbetween the local surf club and the Hawaiian Outriggers Canoe Club which challenged each other to contests to test each others skill. Tom Blake, one of the first people to take photographs of the surfers in the water, began the Pacific Coast Surfrider's Championship in 1928 and this continued annually until the outbreak of World War II and in 1941 came to an end. In 1954, over the Christmas holidays, the birth of the Makaha International Surfing Championship saw contests for juniors, men, women, tandem surfing, paddleboard, mat surfing, body surfing and night torch surfing - drawing people from near and far. It was this competition that set the bar for all of the ones that followed. In 1965 came the Duke Kahanamoku Classic and it was the 17yr old Jeff Hackman who snatched it from 23 of the world's best surfers at Sunset Beach. By 1969 a "purse" had been introduced at $1,000.

Growing in number and held at destinations around the world, both well known and not so well known, purses have increased in size to sums between $100,000 and $250,000 and therefore attracts more numbers who want to turn a fun pastime into an income. During these competitions surfers are expected to demonstrate their skill, by showing in a set time, their competency in catching and riding a wave, their use of various maneuvers while surfing and the ability to perform the hardest of maneuvers without problem or interruption.

Makaha International and the Duke Classic are no longer held but they have been replaced by many more competitions. Some of the favourite ones are: -

1. Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti.
2. Surfest, New South Wales, Australia.
3. Pipe Masters at the Banzai Pipeline, Oahu
4. The Bells Beach Surf Classic, Victoria, Australia
5. The Red Bull Big Wave Africa at Cape Town, South Africa.
6. East Coast Surfing Championships at Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
7. Quiksilver - in memory of Eddie Aikaua
8. Excel Pro
9. Backdoor Shootout
10. Bodyboarding Pipeline Pro (7 - 10 all held in Hawaii)

1983 was the first year that saw the Triple Crown, organised by Fred Hemmings. This was a contest that sought to focus on the world's top three surfing events that were held under the most competitive conditions in the most awesome of venues. Each of the three competitions required a different skill set and the triple crown winner would demonstrate their ability in each different area. Catching and riding a wave of 8 -10ft at the Pipeline requires a totally different level of skill to riding a 15ft'er at Sunset, both events are held on Oahu's North Shore.

But with the growing number of competitions being organised and held by big companies, it has to beg the question "what about the local surfer's right to use the beach to surf?"